‘It was the right time’

“Once you get past 25 years, everyone thinks about it (stepping aside) a little bit,” Williams said. “It seemed like so many things fell in place and it was the right time.

“There was some long, hard thinking about it. There is never a perfect time. … There is some trepidation. The unknown can be a bit uneasy. But I felt like it was a really good time to do it.”

Goulding becomes just the fourth CSM manager since 1961. John Noce led the program from 1961 to 1992 before former longtime Serra head man, Pete Jensen, took over for a couple years before Williams got the job prior to the 1995 season.

Since then, Williams has won more than 800 games. Following this past season’s 27-14 record, Williams has 813 wins.

So when did Williams first think about stepping down?

“When we lost the super regional in 1995. It still hurts,” Williams said with a laugh.

But the reality is, Williams has been thinking about making this move for several years. At first, it was just whispers. But it kept getting louder. It was one of the reasons he brought Goulding on board as an assistant coach prior to the 2021 season. After playing for Williams in 2010 and 2011, Goulding transferred to University of Texas-Pan American to finish up his playing career. He then went into coaching, starting at Cal State Northridge before moving on to St. Mary’s.

While hiring Goulding as his replacement wasn’t at the forefront, Williams admitted it was in the back of his mind. Williams thought Goulding would make a perfect manager during his playing days and it’s not hard to see why. Goulding’s dad, John Goulding, was a longtime manager for the San Mateo American Legion Post 82 summer team before moving across the Bay to take over the James Logan High School program for 15 years. Williams played on the 1983 and 1984 Post 82 teams and the elder Goulding will also be in the dugout as a part-time assistant.

Riley Goulding also has two brothers who are college golf coaches. Coaching is the Goulding family business.

“I thought when Riley was playing for me (he was manager material). He has that kind of baseball IQ,” Williams said. “I played for his dad in San Mateo Legion. He believed in this system up here enough to send his son up here (to CSM).

“[Riley Goulding] bleeds Bulldog blue.”

Williams said there were many facets to his decision. Of course he wants to spend more time with his family and as he said, “I have aspirations to do some other things.” But he wasn’t ready to step away fully from the game, so he is cherishing the ability to spend more time with the players. When I texted him Tuesday afternoon to set up an interview, he was working in the team batting cages.

“I’m loving the extra time in the batting cage; helping in the bullpen. … The guys still see me every day. They see more of me than before. I’m still involved in every facet (of the program),” Williams said, who will still serve as the team’s academic coordinator. “I’m able to interact with the players more. There are so many responsibilities for the head coach.”

Williams said it’s not just the love of the game that kept him around. It was also the chance to continue to mold young men into fully functional adults, to give them life lessons that they can take with them as they make their way through life.

Which should be the goal of every high school or college coach.

“That’s what it’s all about — the relationships. I’ve always said what this job is all about — sure, it’s competitive and you love to win — but if you have an influence, hopefully in a positive way, for one player, it was worth it,” Williams said. “That’s the most gratifying part. We’ve been able to instill some things in their foundation to be good at their jobs, good in marriage, good in parenting.

“I know it happened to me. It’s what I went through in this program and it’s been a driver in my life.”

During his time at CSM, Williams sent 97% of his players to the next level — whether a four-year program or the professional draft. This year’s team sent 17 more to play in college.

Williams coached six who made it to the big leagues, with Scott Feldman, who played at CSM in 2002 and 2003, having the longest service time of 15 years in the majors. Daniel Nava was another Bulldog who made an impact at the professional level, spending eight years at the highest level. Miles Mastrobuoni is the latest former Bulldog to get “the call,” making his MLB debut with the Cubs last season.

“Of the six guys to make it (to the majors), not a single one of those guys had a Division I scholarship coming out of high school,” Williams said.

Now the only question that remains is: how much longer will Williams be in a dugout? At some point, the time will come. But now is not the time. In the meantime, Williams will make his decision the way he always has — after intense soul searching.

“It creeps into your head at the end of every season once you get to a certain point. Maybe I matured enough to take a pragmatic look at it,” Williams said. “I’ve always said, if I have any distraction (about my future) at all, I really need to make a decision on it.

“I’m grateful for the (CSM) administration to allow us to do this. I have a great guy in place with Riley Goulding. … It’s what I wanted to do. I could have hemmed and hawed over it. But I needed to make a decision and the time was right.”

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.